The invention relates generally to an article sorting method and apparatus and, more particularly, to sortation of mail. The invention is especially adapted to sort flat mail to delivery point sequence or carrier walk sequence, but may also apply to a mix of flat mail and letter mail.
Mail is received in a distribution warehouse from typically two sources. One is local mail which is to be delivered within the local area. This is known as turnaround mail. Local mail may also be sorted for delivery to other distribution centers. The other source of mail is out-of-area mail received from other distribution centers. Mail which is to be delivered locally must, ultimately, be sorted to delivery point sequence, also known as xe2x80x9ccarrier walk sequence.xe2x80x9d A Dual Bar Code Sequenced (DBCS) machine is capable of achieving delivery point sequence for letter mail. However, it requires two or more passes of the mail through the same sequence. A first depth of sort is achieved with the first pass. The letters are then loaded into trays and the trays loaded onto manual carts. The trays are then unloaded from the manual carts and reprocessed during a second pass. An alternative to manual handling of the trays of mail between passes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,385,243 which utilizes a storage and retrieval machine to stage the letter trays for the second pass.
Flat mail is mail which ranges in length of from 5 inches to 15 inches, height of from 6 inches to 12 inches, thickness of from 0.009 inches to 0.75 inches, and weight of from 0.01 pound to 1.0 pound. It may include paper envelopes, plastic wrappers, bound catalogs, banded newspapers, open mail pieces without wrappers, and the like. Such flat mail has traditionally been sorted to the distribution center level automatically, such as utilizing a model AFSM 100 flat sorting system manufactured by Mannesmann Dematic Postal Automation and marketed in the United States by Mannesmann Dematic Rapistan Corp. The sortation from distribution center to carrier walk sequence has traditionally been performed manually utilizing pigeon-hole bins. Such manual sorting of flat mail to the delivery point sequence may take several hours, up to half of the time available for a carrier to deliver his/her route.
It would be desirable to provide a carrier walk sequence for mail, especially for flat mail. It would be most desirable if the carrier walk sequence of flat mail is accomplished irrespective of source or type of the mail. In particular, it would be desirable to be able to sort turnaround mail to carrier walk sequence.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for sorting flat articles which is capable of sorting to delivery point sequence. The invention is capable of sorting to delivery point sequence irrespective of the source of the articles.
According to an aspect of the invention, an article sortation apparatus for sorting mail includes a first sortation assembly, a second sortation assembly, and a conveying assembly. The first sortation assembly includes a first induct, a first sortation mechanism which sorts articles from the first induct to a plurality of containers. The second sorting assembly includes a second induct, a second sortation mechanism which sorts articles from the second induct to an output. The conveying assembly conveys containers from the first sortation mechanism to the second induct. The first sortation assembly may be programmed to resolve the address of each article, apply a pseudo identification to the article, which is retained in a control, and sort the article to bins or containers. The second sortation assembly calls for containers from the first sortation assembly in the control by the first sortation assembly in a particular order and carries out a delivery point sequence sortation on the articles in those containers using the information stored in the control by the first sortation assembly. Preferably, the delivery point sequence sortation is to 9 zip code digits and, most preferably, to 11 zip code digits.
A method of sorting mail to delivery point sequence, according to another aspect of the invention, includes providing a first sortation assembly that is adapted to performing a first sort plan to mail articles supplied thereto and a second sortation assembly adapted to performing a second sort plan to mail articles supplied thereto. Mail is supplied to the first sortation assembly identified and sorted to bins or containers. The mail articles sorted by the first sortation assembly are supplied to the second sortation assembly in a particular sequence and sorted to delivery point sequence.